Front brakes

Im going to do my front discs and pads soon due to an advisory last year (MOT due August). Now, I was just wandering about the brakes on these cars. Mine work OK, but i like brakes that have a deifnate and solid effect when pressing the brake pedal just a bit, is this what I should expect from an MX3, or is it normal to have to push a bit more than you might expect? I do have emergency stop capability, but much like my MX6, the brakes dont seem that brilliant…any ideas??

oh, also, anything special for replacing the front discs and pads or is it just bog standard tools I need?

I hate new cars for this - the brakes are on, or they are off. The MX-3, Xedos 9, MX-5, Accord Type-R and BMW 523i Touring we've had recently, all of the same age (1998-1999, all of them) have all had excellent brakes. Lots of feel and lots of power when you need it.

Replacing the pads is fun - you'll need to undo the caliper bolts and hinge it towards the front of the car from the top. Wind the piston in (pointy nose pliers in the cutouts, push and rotate), de-rust the spring clips and shims, put a dab of copper grease on everything except the friction surface of the pad/brake (this would be bad) and a bit of bleeding wouldn't go amiss.

Bedding in brakes is a bit of an art form. Just pads? Do 20 hard stops from 20mph to rest. New discs? You'll need a few really hard 60mph-10mph "stops" first.**